Before you can use any of the CI/CD Fast-Track packages, you’ll need to prepare a few essentials. These steps are common across all tiers, though the $50 tier requires a few extra items.
You’ll need an AWS Account with permissions to create and manage:
📖 Official AWS Docs:
Create a dedicated IAM User for GitHub Actions (never use root credentials).
AmazonEC2FullAccess.You’ll need the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key for this user.
📖 Official AWS Docs:
When you launch an EC2 instance, you’ll need a Key Pair for secure SSH access.
.pem file you download once.📖 Official AWS Docs: Create a key pair
A Security Group acts as a virtual firewall for your EC2 instance. You’ll need to create one and allow specific inbound rules so that your app can be accessed.
Port 22 (SSH): Required so GitHub Actions can connect to your server via SSH.
Port 80 (HTTP): Required so end users can access your app in a web browser.
💡 Optional: If you’re using HTTPS (SSL/TLS) later, you’ll also need Port 443 open.
Without the correct Security Group:
ci-cd-fasttrack-sg).📖 Official AWS Docs:
👉 Later in the README (Setup & Bootstrapping section), you’ll reference the Security Group ID (sg-xxxxxxxx) — make sure to copy it from the console because you’ll need it for GitHub Secrets in the $50 tier.
You’ll need a GitHub repo to host your code and workflows:
.tf files) and multi-environment workflows.📖 Official GitHub Docs: Create a new repository
Secrets store your sensitive credentials securely. Add them under: GitHub Repo → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions.
$20 Tier
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_IDAWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEYEC2_SSH_KEY → Paste the contents of your .pem fileEC2_HOST → Your instance’s public IPv4EC2_USER → e.g. ubuntuAWS_REGION → The region where your EC2 instance is running (e.g., us-east-1, ap-southeast-2)$50 Tier
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_IDAWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEYEC2_PRIVATE_KEY → from your EC2 Key Pair PEM fileSECURITY_GROUP_ID → from your VPC’s security groupSUBNET_ID → from your VPC subnetAWS_REGION → The region where your infrastructure is deployed (must match your Terraform backend and EC2 setup)📖 Official Docs:
The $50 tier uses Terraform to manage infrastructure. Terraform requires remote state storage and locking to work safely in a team setup:
📖 Official Terraform Docs:
👉 Once these prerequisites are in place, you can follow your package’s README for automated deployment.